Seeking Security

Launch of Australian Domestic & Family Violence Clearing House Research Report

Speech by Elizabeth
Broderick

Sex Discrimination Commissioner and

Commissioner responsible for Age
Discrimination

Australian Human Rights
Commission

Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearing house,
University of NSW

7 March 2011

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Let me begin by acknowledging the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation and paying my respects to their elders past, present and future. They hold the
memories, the traditions, the culture and hope of all Australians. I honour
them for their custodianship of the land on which we gather today.

Over the last 6 months I have had the privilege of visiting many domestic
violence and sexual assault centres all across our country - to speak with a
range of service providers who assist women affected by violence. I am in awe
and inspired every day by what I see - the essential services provided by an
army of largely women, working day in day out - their dedication, their
compassion and their ability to create change.

It’s the individual stories and the loving support delivered in these
places that will create systemic social change, that will create a more caring
and compassionate Australia – that will create a more equal Australia.
Thank you.

Tomorrow marks the centenary of International Women’s Day.
International Women’s Day is an occasion when women and men gather
together across the country and around the globe to bring attention to
women’s ongoing quest for equality and justice. We celebrate our
achievements, look honestly at our challenges and plot our course for the
future.

One of the significant aspects of International Women’s Day is that it
gives us time to reflect on the significant achievements of the women’s
movement, particularly over the last 100 years. One of the main achievements of
the women’s movement has over the last 100 years, has been ensuring
violence against women is seen as a public issue – rather than a medical
condition. You may remember it was believed that women who lived with violence
‘had a masochistic predisposition to violent partners due to mistreatment
in childhood ’^[1]. In other
words – the violence was their own fault...It took the work of two
feminist researchers, Carol O’Donnell and Heather Saville – to
debunk this myth and kickstart research into this area.

Violence against women is the starkest example of gender inequality in
Australia. It can impact on every part of a woman’s life – in the
home, in schools, the workplace, in the community and in civic society. It also
has significant ramifications for men and families. Today and throughout this
week, I will be making a call to action to reduce and ultimately eliminate
violence against women.

I am so very pleased to be here today to launch your new research report, Seeking Security: Promoting the economic wellbeing of women affected by
domestic violence. This report draws on the experience and expertise of 107 women in Qld, Victoria and South Australia, and includes
women who have been affected by violence and also service providers. I commend
the authors on undertaking this project and producing such an essential research
publication.

Seeking Security contains important findings about the impact of
domestic violence on women’s economic well-being and identifies key areas
in which women’s economic well-being is negatively affected by violence.
But it doesn’t just identify these areas it proposes solutions.

I welcome this report and urge governments to consider the recommendations.

I want to reflect on two main issues that emerge from this report. Firstly,
to talk about the impact of domestic violence on paid work and secondly, to talk
about what we can do to reduce its prevalence in Australia.

As Rochelle Braaf and Isobelle Barrett Meyering have documented in Seeking
Security, women in, escaping from or recovering from being in an abusive
relationship face numerous barriers finding, and then staying in employment.
Women can experience difficulties due to a lack of skills, education or
employment history. While in employment, women can be traumatised and have
mental health issues which can prevent them from maintaining employment. The
authors also highlight that the cost of child care is impeding women’s
ability to participate in paid work.

We know that almost two thirds of women who experience domestic and family
violence are in the workforce^[2], so
there is no question that the issue of violence affects many in our workplaces.
Some local research has found that between 50 and 75% of employed women
experiencing domestic violence are harassed by their partners while they are at
work^[3].

This is also supported by a study conducted by Professor Ruth Brandwein at
the State University of New York which found that men use a range of tactics to
try to sabotage women’s work efforts.

As part of the study, a woman named Judy recounted how she lost her job as
manager of a fast food outlet because of her husband’s jealousy and
violence.

“I used to manage Burger King for 5 years,” she explained.
“If a guy talked to me, [my husband] would rip doors off hinges – he
would go nuts. I left because I didn’t think it was fair to [my
employers]”^[4].

Another woman named Joan described her husband hiding her clothes to prevent
her from going to work. Joan’s husband would promise to baby-sit, but
would not show up or show up early in the morning after a night of drinking.

“I wouldn’t leave the children with him when he was drunk,”
she recalled. “So I went through many jobs. I got fired often. I was
very embarrassed. It ate away at my self esteem.”

Other women reported being stalked at work. These women either had to leave
their jobs to protect their safety or were fired because the stalking was
endangering other employees.

Other research has shown that women who have experienced violence may also
lose their jobs because of the trauma related to violence, which might manifest
itself in frequent or prolonged absenteeism or the need to preserve and
prioritise their safety.^[5]

Women with a history of domestic violence are more likely to have a disrupted
work history, to have to change jobs and work in casual and part time work, than
women with no experience of
violence.^[6]

These research findings serve to reinforce something we already know. And
that is that these penalties and disruptions, which have profound financial
consequences, will accumulate and compound over time. The researchers of
Seeking Security have found that the experience of domestic violence
significantly contributes to poverty, financial risk and financial insecurity
for women. The economic price that women pay for being subjected to domestic
violence is life long.

In Seeking Security, the authors detail the strategies women used to
stay in their jobs. Some gained support from their employers to access leave to
attend to matters associated with the abuse.

Employers
I have spoken with do want to assist employees who may be experiencing violence
at home. They know that what happens at home impacts on the workplace.

Workplace clauses enabling women to take leave, such as that contained in the
policy at the University of NSW and for the NSW public service are starting to
be more widely discussed in organisations. These measures not only assist women,
but also assist employers who wish to be at the very forefront of providing
female-friendly working conditions.

Such measures also assist in reducing staff turnover and ensuring that
employers keep their valued employees. For example, a Queensland based
organisation called Australia’s CEO Challenge which is engaging with Chief
Executive Officers of organisations to position domestic violence as an issue
for the workplace. The program tells men and women where they can access help if
they are in the cycle of domestic violence as well as providing time for
relationship counselling and financial counselling. One CEO who participated in
the program said he didn’t think any of his staff experienced domestic
violence in his workplace but when he introduced the program he reduced staff
turnover by 20%.

We know that many women are unable to leave violent partners - they just do
not have the financial resources to do so.

This is a key message in Seeking Security – that the decision to
stay or leave an abusive relationship can be significantly influenced by
financial factors.

Another key message of Seeking Security – and one that
I’ve heard repeatedly from service providers – is that women’s
access to services is hindered by a lack of knowledge and a complex service
system. Women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander women, migrant and refugee women and women with
disability may face an even more difficult time than other women.

For example, women from non English speaking backgrounds may have less family
support and often a limited understanding of community or government support
that might be available. The stories of a number of migrant women have been
documented in an excellent publication called “Black and Blue: Never
Again” released by Macleod Accommodation Support Service and the Qld
Government.

“Black and Blue” includes the story of Zena, an immigrant woman.
She remembered that beginning life in Australia was a very difficult experience
for her after migrating with her husband. She spoke limited English and had no
friends to help her. Her husband was the one communicating with the outside
world. He took care of housing, applying for Centrelink payments and Medicare.
He chose their friends. She is quoted as saying, “My husband always told
me that if I went to anyone, they would take my children away”.

And for Indigenous women - a much broader kinship network operates among
traditional Indigenous societies and also operates in modified forms in urban
Indigenous communities too.

For this reason perpetrators and victims are often related in complex ways.

Kin provide people with enormous strength and a profound sense of identity
but as a consequence, ones connection to kin makes it difficult for Indigenous
victims to leave violent partners.

In order to leave an abusive partner an Indigenous woman may have to leave
her community. To do so separates her from extended family, from her traditional
lands and her entire social, cultural and spiritual world. It also severely
affects her economic wellbeing.

Every day in Australia, we hear about the need to make our borders safer
– to plan a national response to any terrorist attack. But the stark
reality is that, for a great many women, the risk of death or injury from
terrorist attack is relatively low, whilst the risk of death or injury from
intimate partner violence is high. These women do not fear explosions in the
mall or on the train, but they do face the prospect of entering their own home
with cold, bone-shaking fear.

As I continue through my 5 year term as Sex Discrimination Commissioner,
addressing the incidence of violence against women has become an urgent priority
for me. The experiences of the women I have spoken of today and the many others
around Australia dictate that the issue of domestic violence can no longer be
put in the “too hard” basket. We need action and we need it now.

After conducting their research, the authors of Seeking Security,
Rochelle Braaf and Isobelle Barrett Meyering developed a range of
recommendations to develop positive economic outcomes for women escaping or
recovering from a violent relationship.

I outlined a couple of these earlier – the need for services to be
integrated and responsive to women affected by violence, and for employers to
understand issues around domestic and family violence and provide the necessary
workplace entitlements.

But the researchers also identified a range of other ‘critical
interventions’ and accompanying recommendations, some of which I would
very briefly like to mention.

• Women are very adept at managing on low incomes and ensuring that they have
  emergency money in case they have to flee. However they also need economic
  advocacy, financial literacy education and tailored financial services while
  they’re in a violent situation and also after they have left.
  • The authors recommend that governments fund special financial
    products for women affected by violence, such as low interest loans. They also
    recommend financial institutions introduce policies to address financial abuse,
    such as greater flexibility in relation to loan criteria.
• Seeking Security also found that finding safe, affordable,
  appropriate accommodation post-separation was probably the biggest concern for
  women in the study.
  • The authors recommend that State governments strengthen policies to
    enable women to stay in their own homes. Braaf and Barrett Meyering also
    recommend a new payment – a ‘separation’ payment for women
    leaving violence.
• Most of the women in the study had children, and most who claimed child
  support were dissatisfied with the arrangement. Child support payments were
  found to be inadequate, particularly as some women lost some of their social
  security payments as they were assessed as receiving child support payments from
  their ex-partner, even when these payments had been missed.
  • Rochelle Braaf and Barrett Meyering recommend tightening the child
    support system, having the Child Support Agency guarantee payments to payees and
    pursue payments from payers.

These are just a few of the
many well-considered recommendations in the report. I urge you all to read the
report and to use it as a base for your advocacy to implement the
recommendations.

There have been domestic and international calls for Australia to implement a
National Plan. Finally last month the Australian Government announced the first
of 4 three year plans to address violence against women. The plan has been
endorsed by all states and territories. This is a significant step forward for
Australia. VAW is a national problem which requires a national and local
response. Of course, there is no single solution to violence against women but
without an adequately funded national plan to co-ordinate our resources,
research and service delivery initiatives we have no hope of changing this
situation.

The plan commits governments to working together, as well as with community
organisations, business and researchers. Additionally, the Plan addresses both
domestic violence and sexual assault. The Plan focuses on prevention, resourcing
and integration of services, improving access to justice and holding
perpetrators to account for their actions. However, a plan is only as good as
its implementation. The plan must be implemented effectively, independently
monitored and evaluated and adequately funded.

Reducing violence and harassment against women in our country, as around the
world, is not a quick fix. It will require strong political courage, honesty
about success and failings, and a determination to get it right.

In conclusion let me share a story which reminds me that this is
possible.

It is the story of a woman I’ll call Ella. Ella was in her mid
70’s, and had been living in an abusive relationship for around 45 years.
Her daughter and grand daughter had come to stay with her and her husband.

One night, Ella’s husband came home from the pub - like he always did.
He had been boozing with his mates - like he always did. He walked into the
kitchen and - like he always did - proceeded to hit and punch Ella.
Ella’s 40 year old daughter hid - like she had always done. But
Ella’s teenage grand daughter was watching from the next room. And she did
something different. When her grandfather finally left she approached Ella and
said:

“It doesn’t have to be like this, Grandma”.

For the first time, someone - Ella’s grand daughter - offered her a way
out. She arranged to take her Grandmother the next day to the local domestic
violence counselling service. And the heartening thing about this story is that
finally after 45 years someone was asking Ella about her relationship –
they had given her permission to speak about her abuse.

Stories like Ella’s give me hope. Hope that with education, awareness,
advocacy and commitment we can create a world where these women, all women, can
have a chance at a life free from violence.

The Seeking Security report also gives me hope. Hope that with this
new research and its recommendations, governments and other organisations will
listen and take action.

It gives me great pleasure today to launch Seeking Security: Promoting the
economic wellbeing of women affected by domestic violence and I commend it
to all of you.

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^[1] Ramsay (2007) ‘Policy
Activism of a Wicked Issue’, Ausrtralian Feminist Studies, 22:53,
247-264.

^[2] Australian Bureau of
Statistics, Personal Safety, Australia, 2005 (Reissue), Catalogue No.
4906.0 (2006), 35, at www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4906.0Main+Features12005%20(Reissue)?OpenDocument (viewed 12 April 2010)

^[3] Bega
Staying Home Leaving Violence Evaluation 2006, cited in McFerran, L (2009) The job as pathway to recovery: Domestic Violence as a Workplace Issue, sydney.edu.au/business/__data/assets/.../wwrg_mcferran_Aug2009.pdf.

^[4]Brandwein, R and Filiano,
(2000) ‘Toward Real Welfare Reform: The Voices of Battered Women’, Affililia, 15:2,224-242.

^[5] Moe, A & Bell, M, (2004)
‘Abject economics: the effects of battering and violence on women’s
work and employability’, Violence Against Women, 10:1, 30.

^[6] Franzway, S, Zufferey C and
Chung, D (2010) ‘Domestic Violence and Multidimensional Factors:
Investigating the impact of domestic violence on women’s employment,
health and housing’, Our Work Our Lives National Conference,
Darwin, 12-13 August 2010.